Conservation Practices to Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change.

Climate change and its interaction with other environmental problems such as desertification, deforestation, and depletion of water resources used for irrigation, will increase the challenges for maintaining food security during the next four decades and beyond. Climate change and extreme weather events could contribute to higher erosion rates that reduce soil quality and agricultural productivity. We were invited by the Soil and Water Conservation Society to review the literature to develop a scientific paper on the potential to use soil and water conservation practices to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This poster presents a summary of that paper, including some principles we developed for climate change mitigation and adaptation. A few of the principles that we listed are: 1) Surface Residue Protects; 2) Soil Function Improves with Soil Carbon; 3) Cover the Surface; 4) Value Perennial Crops; 5) Embrace Technology; 6) Off-Field Remediation Practices Helpful; 7) Improve Landscape Diversity with Agroforestry; 8) Synergism through Multiple Conservation Practices; 9) Build on Within-Field Tried and True Practices; 10) Effectiveness Enhanced with Landscape Targeting-Precision Conservation; 11) Promote Energy Efficiency; 12) Value Water More; 13) Greater Diversity Needed; 14) Minimize Gas Losses; and 15) “Tighter” Nutrient Cycles. Implementation of conservation practices and these principles of conservation across the world’s agroecosystems will be key to maintaining food security and will contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation while maintaining viable agricultural productivity. This poster presents these and other basic principles discussed in the paper.